During The Ashdown Forest Dispute 1876-1882 commoners and land owners were interviewed by the solicitor William Raper. Their comments were recorded in a series of notebooks:

Minns, Daniel. 73. Born at Oldlands House, 12 March 1806. Baptised at Maresfield. My Father Benjamin Minns (dead) was bailiff for Mr. Robert Holford of Oldlands. When I was 16 my father apprenticed me to a carpenter at Brighton where I remained 5 years. Then I came to Uckfield for 3 years, then I went to Buxted Place under Lord Liverpool about 2 years, then I went back to Uckfield 2 years, then I went to work for Mr. Benham (dead), the owner and occupier of Puxty Farm, Buxted, for about 2 years. Then I went into Kent for about 2 years, then I came back to Buxted to take the house I now live in and have now occupied it 44 years and have worked as a carpenter and have worked about on most of the properties in the neighbourhood.

I remember that when I lived at Oldlands we used to have brakes and litter from the Forest every year. While I was at Uckfield, Mr. Holford (dead) gave up farming and let Oldlands to my Father who used it till his death [and] then my brother John had the farm till Mr. Nesbitt bought the property. I constantly went to Oldlands to see my Father from the time I returned from Brighton till his death. He always had litter and brakes from the forest every year till his death. I used to see them in the yards and I used to help him load them on the forest and unload them in the yard. I know that my brother also had them every year; I used to see them in his yard.

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